Switch for electric toy and model railroad installations



Dec. 9, 1969 w. MUNZBERG 3,483,369

SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC TOY AND MODEL RAILROAD INSTALLATIONS.

Filed Jan. 26, 1968 United States Patent 0 3,483,369 SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC TGY AND MODEL RAILROAD INSTALLATTONS Walter Munzberg, Mnhlhansen, Sulz, Germany, assignor to Max Ernst, Nurnberg, Germany Filed Jan. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 700,859 Claims priority, application Germany, Jan. 30, 1967, E 33,296 Int. Cl. A63h 19/32 US. Cl. 246-415 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A switch for electric toy and model railroad installations in which contact strip means are arranged at the bottom side of the switch bed and while extending transverse to the inner and outer rails comprise two outer and two inner electrically conductive contact members of which the outer contact members are respectively electrically connected to the outer rails while the inner contact members are respectively electrically connected to the two inner rails, current bridge means being arranged below said contact strip means for selective movement alternately to a first position for electrically connecting one outer contact member to the respective inner contact member remote thereto and for movement to a second position in which the outer contact member is electrically connected to the respective inner contact member remote thereto, said bridge means and said switch blade means with said inner rails being shiftable so that when said bridge means is under voltage, said switch blade means and said inner rail means will be under voltage in any position of said switch blade means.

The present invention relates to a switch for electric toy and model railroad installations. Switches for electric toy and model railroad installations have become known according to which the switch adjustment is effected by means of a one-piece structural member which comprises primarily two rail sections (switch blades). This structural member is pivotally journalled in the switch bed in the vicinity of the crossing point of the inner rails between the two outer rails. For adjusting the switch, there is provided a slide located at the end of the structural member below the rail. This slide is adapted through the intervention of a spring member manually or electromagnetically to be so pivoted that either one or the other switch blade will engage the corresponding outer rail. Due to the engagement of this pivotable switch member with one or the other outer rail, one or the other switch blade is placed under voltage.

The two inner rail sections of the switch and the straight or curved branch rail adapted to be connected thereto are normally not under voltage. They receive their current selectively in conformity with the switch position through a reversing device through which the two switch blades formed of one structural member are conductively connected to a movable contact which cooperates with at least two fixed counter contacts which are electrically conductively connected with one or the other of the two inner rail sections of the switch.

This heretofore known current supply of the inner rails of the switch is thus effected through two serially arranged contacts which fact frequently causes disturbances of operation because already a slight soiling of one of the two contacts will suflice to interrupt the current supply for one or for both switch positions.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a switch for electric toy or model railroad installations which will overcome the above mentioned drawbacks.

3,483,36i9 Patented Dec. 9, 1969 It is another object of this invention to provide a switch as set forth in the preceding paragraph, which will be sturdy and which will generally not be liable to disturbances.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a left switch according to the invention as seen from the top.

FIG. 2 represents a right switch with removed switch member as seen from the bottom.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a reversing device for the switch illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a housing for the remote operation of the switch, said housing being adapted to be connected to the switch.

FIG. 5 is a top View of the housing illustrated in FIG. 4.

The present invention relates to a switch for electric toy or model railroad installations with switch blades and devices which preferably consist of a single metal piece and are pivotally journalled in the switch blade between the outer rails. According to said installations, the switch blades as well as one of the inner rails are placed under voltage in conformity with the respective switch position. According to the present invention, the bottom side of the switch blade is provided with a recess or cavity in the vicinity of the switch heart. Within said recess and transverse to the rails there is provided a contact strip composed of four adjacent conductor plates of which the two outer plates are conductively connected with one outer rail each while the two inner plates are conductively connected with one inner rail each. Below said contact strip there is provided a displaceable current bridge and there are also provided shift-over means for the current bridge and for the switch blades so that in each position of the switch blades said switch blades and the corresponding inner rail of the switch will be under voltage.

According to a further feature of the invention, the current bridge displaceably arranged below the contact strip comprises two resilient contact arms the contact points of which are spaced from each other to such an extent that in each position of the switch, the conductor plate conductively connected with an outer rail is conductively connected to the conductor plate of the corresponding inner rail.

According to a still further feature of the invention, the contact strip may be designed in the manner of a printed circuit.

According to a further feature of the invention, the transversely displaceable current bridge is provided with a follower by means of which the pivoting of the switch blades is elfected when the current bridge is adjusted in conformity with the switching of the inner rails and by means of which an electrically good connection is established with the switch blades.

The invention consists in that the two inner rails of the switch are adapted by an electric switch-over device selectively to be placed under the voltage which corresponds to the position of the switch blades which means no longer over the detour formed by the switch blades closely engaging the rail. In this way a safer current supply is assured. Also the switch blade itself can in this way be moved into a good conductive connection with the current bridge so that a proper current supply of the respective switch blade will also be assured in the absence of an electric connection with the respective outer rail.

According to another important feature of the present invention, the above switching device may be designed in the manner of a spring-loaded toggle switch with two stable end positions with respectively engaged switch blade 3 and an intermediate dead center position which is to be overcome by tensioning the spring.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the switch bed 1 shown therein consists of an insulating material and has mounted thereon the straight outer rail 2, the curved outer rail 3 and the switch blades 4, 4' which consist of a one-piece member, for instance, of brass sheet metal. The reference numeral 5 designates a transverse web at the end of the switch blades with a downwardly extending stud 6 provided at one end of said transverse web for location on the switch bed. In the central portion of the adjustable structural member there is provided a transverse web 7 which at the end has a notch 8. This member is located within a slot below the heart piece 9 of insulating material. In the vicinity of the center of the switch member there is located a stamped out opening 10 for forming a downwardly extending stud 10. The device furthermore comprises a member 11 of insulating material which is inserted into the switch blade and which is connected to the switch blade 1 by means of rivets 12. By means ot studs inner rails 13 and 14 are connected to the structural member 11. At the bottom side of the member 11 and somewhat set back in upward direction, there is provided a contact strip comprising four conductor plates 15, 16, 1'7 and 18. The two outer plates 15 and 18 are conductively connected to the corresponding outer rails 2, 3 respectively, and the two inner conductor plates 16 and 17 are conductively connected to the corresponding inner rails 13 and 14 re* spectively. The contact strip 1548 may be produced in the manner of a printed circuit.

FIG. 3 shows a thin sheet metal plate 19 the marginal portion of which is provided with a number of ears 19 by means of which it can be connected from below to the switch bed. Approximately in the center of plate 19 there is provided an upwardly extending stamped out ear 20 which serves as edge bearing for an angle lever 21, 22. The arm 21 of said lever which protrudes beyond the switch bed has at one end thereof an arched portion 21' adapted to receive an adjusting knob 23 (FIGS. 4 and 5) in two different positions. The placing of said adjusting knob On portion 21 may be effected due to a slot 23'. The angle lever 21, 22 has a notch 24 by means of which it is journalled on the car 20. The lever arm 22 of said angle lever 21, 22 has an upwardly angled car 25 which serves for journalling a current bridge 26. This current bridge 26 has a rectangular cutout 27 t0 aflord a passage for the car 20 and additionally has a triangular cutout 28 by means of which the current bridge 26 is pivotally journalled on the ear 25 of the angle lever 21, 22. The current bridge 26 furthermore has two resilient arms 29, 30 which resiliently engage the contact strip 1548. The distance of the contacting cams at the end of these arms 29, 30 is selected so large that either the contacts 15 and 17 or the contacts 16 and 18 are short-circuited by the current bridge 26.

For limiting the abutment of the angle lever 21, 22, ears or studs 19' or the narrow edges of the rectangular cutout 27 may be employed. The deviation of the angle lever is so selected that in each end position one of the switch blades, 4, 4 will under spring pressure engage the inner side of the corresponding outer rail.

On that side of the current bridge 26 which faces away from the edge bearings 20, 24 and 25, 28 there is provided a U-shaped extension 31 of which that portion which is adjacent to the current bridge serves for firmly connecting a helical spring 32 with the current bridge which at 33 is connected to the plate and the open end portion of which forms an upwardly extending U-shaped follower 34 serving for coupling to the pivotable switch portion 4, 4' by means of a stud 10 extending downwardly at 10. From FIG. 3 it will be evident that the preloaded tension spring 32 holds the current bridge 26 in a stable position in which the switch lever occupies the position shown in FIG. 3 in dash lines. When pivoting lever 21, 22, the edge bearing 25, 28 moves through a dead center position to the position shown in solid lines of lever 21 and current bridge 26. The device is thus shifta'ble in the manner of a toggle switch while each time the resilient arms 29, 30 carry out a switchover of the inner rails 13, 14 and the switch blades are connected to the voltage of the corresponding outer rail 2 or 3 respectively, said arms 29, 30 without forming a current bridge resiliently engage the respective outer rail.

Inasmuch as the switch blades will be under voltage also when not engaging the respective outer rail 2 or 5, care is to be taken that when the switch is accidentally opened, no short circuit will be established by the metallic wheels of the railroad cars.

After the knob 23 which consists of insulating material has been placed upon the arched end 21 of the lever 21, the switch can be manually operated. Independently thereof, the switch can also be changed for remote operation. To this end, a plate 35 is at 36 riveted to the bottom side of the switch bed 1. This plate 35 is provided with two upwardly arched arresting earns 37. Between the bed 1 and the plate 35 there is provided the housing 38 of an electromagnetic switch-over device. This housing 38 can be connected by means of two ears 39 which in the center thereof have a notch 40. Within the housing 38 there is provided a reversing device which comprises two serially arranged magnetic coils and a soft iron core. Connected to the soft iron core is a wire 41 the end of which forms an eye 42 by means of which said wire 41 can be firmly connected to the knob 23.

The housing 38 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 pertains to the switch with left-hand branch shown in FIG. i. For the switch with right-hand branch as shown in FIG. I there is required a member 38 forming a symmetric image to the first mentioned housing. When the housings 38 for the lefthand and the right-hand switch are exchanged and the member 23, turned by is plugged onto said lever 21, this reversing device will no longer be located above the supporting plane of the switch bed but will be located therebelow. In this way it is possible by a simple exchange of the driving device to obtain a subfloor drive for remote operation so that the switch adjusting device is hidden from sight.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular construction shown in the drawing.

What I claim is:

1. A switch for electric toy and model railroad installations, which includes: a switch bed, two outer rails connected to said switch bed, switch blade means arranged between said outer rails and including two inner rails, said switch blade means with said inner rails being pivotable in opposite directions for selectively causing one or the other inner rail to engage the respective adjacent outer rail, contact strip me'ans arranged at the bottom side of said switch bed and extending transverse to said inner and outer rails and comprising two outer and two inner electrically conductive contact members, said two outer contact members respectively being electrically connected to said outer rails and said two inner contact members respectively being electrically connected to said two inner rails, current bridge means arranged below said contact strip means and adapted to be electrically connected to a source of electric current, said current bridge means selectively being movable alternately to a first position in which one outer contact member is electrically connected to the respective inner contact member remote thereto and to a second position in which the other outer contact member is electrically connected to the respective inner contact member remote thereto, and shifting means for shifting said bridge means and said switch blade means with said inner rails so that when said bridge means is under voltage said switch blade means and said inner rails will be under voltage in any position of said switch blade 33812 2. A switch according to claim 1, in which said bridge means has two resilient arms each having a contact point for contact with One of the inner and one of the outer contact members at one and the same time, the spacing of said contact points being such that in any position of said switch one outer contact member is electrically connected to the respective inner contact member remote thereto.

3. A switch according to claim 1, which includes: insulating plate means connected to said switch bed and carrying said contact strip means in the form of a printed circuit.

4. A switch according to claim 2, in which said movable bridge means has a follower for engagement with said switch blades and for establishing an electrically conductive connection between said bridge means and said switch blades.

5. A switch according to claim 2, which includes: plate means connected to said switch bed and supporting said shifting means, said plate means maintaining said contact points on said resilient arms in contact with said contact strip.

6. A switching according to claim 5, which includes: spring means connecting said bridge means to said plate means and together with the said plate means and said bridge means forming a toggle switch.

7. A switch according to claim 5, which includes: a two-arm lever pivotally supported by said plate means for pivoting about an axis located approximately in the vicinity of the central portion of said switch, and abutment means on said plate means for limiting the pivotal movement of said two-arm lever, one arm of said twoarm lever being operatively connected to said switch blade means and the other arm of said two-arm lever being operatively connected to said bridge means.

8. A switch according to claim 4, in which said follower is formed by an extension provided at that end of said bridge means which is opposite to and remote from said resilient arms, and pre-loaded tension spring means having one end connected to a stationary support and having its other end connected to said extension.

9. A switch according to claim 7, which includes, a first edge bearing supported by said two-arm lever for pivotally journalling said bridge means, and a second edge bearing supported by said plate means for pivotally journalling said two-arm lever.

10. A switch according to claim 7, in which said onearm laterally protrudes beyond said switch bed and has arched surface means, and which includes adjusting means provided with slot means and adapted to be placed on said one arm for connection therewith.

11. A switch according to claim 7, which includes: holding means connected to the bottom side of said switch bed, and remotely operable control means comprising magnetic means connectable to said holding means and operatively connected to said one arm of said two-arm lever.

12. A switch according to claim 1, in which said switch blade means comprise two switch tongues forming a single piece integral part carrying the inner rails, the sections of said inner rails forming an X with two longer legs and two shorter legs, and plate means interconnecting said shorter legs and forming a supporting surface for the wheels of railroad vehicles pasisng over said switch.

13. A switch according to claim 12, in which said plate means between said shorter legs is, at its outer end, provided with a notch, a heart-shaped member arranged above said notched portion of said plate means, pivot means located between said longer legs near the narrowest portion of said plate means for establishing connection of said blade means with said bridge means, and web means interconnecting the outer ends of said longer legs and securing the position of said switch blades on said switch bed.

14. A switch according to claim 11, in which said remotely operable control means is inversible for mounting below the switch bed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,265,358 9/1942 Schatfan. 2,615,125 10/1952 Peabody. 2,772,843 12/1956 Rexford.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner R. A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiner 

